Which, of course, indicates that those in power are the dumbest bricks in the pile or that they know they are causing damage and that they are following a destructive course of action knowingly and willingly.
I don't think that's the entire explanation, however. Let's be honest with ourselves and admit that a majority of Americans are stupid, and that they don't have a clue how the economy works. They don't understand that the economy is actually US, and that central planning or targeted tax cuts or any other load of B.S. won't do a darned thing to help the economy. Americans see the economy as it stands right now and demand ACTION from politicians. Politicians who advocate letting the market correct itself and go through the full process of deleveraging will be savaged. Americans are wimps. They decry socialism while stating that they have an entitlement to receive 3x as much in Medicare benefits as they ever paid in. Medicare is socialism, and it is a failed system. When polled, Americans say that the rich should pay more in taxes. Okay, but they also state that no one should pay more than 15% of their income in taxes. See the problem here? The only conclusion we can draw from this manifestation of cognitive dissonance is that Americans are stupid, and they don't really know what they want. That's why they're so susceptible to being TOLD what they want by opportunistic politicians.